An Alternative Path
by Raizen Yusuke
Summary: Hook nearly killed Rumpelstiltskin in Manhattan. Cora and Regina stole the dagger. Emma and Neal raced back to save the Dark One's life. In all the chaos that ensued once they got back to Storybrooke Neal met Belle, the woman Emma teasingly called his stepmother. When the danger passes Belle reaches out to Neal and he doesn't know what to make of it.
1. Chapter 1

**This story is a follow up to my other story, Unexpected Meetings and Unusual People, but you do not need to read it to understand this one. In this story when Hook shot Belle she didn't fall over the town line and never lost her memories. Pretty much everything else played out the same except Neal meets Belle for the first time on the docks and Belle was with the group while Rumple was literally on his deathbed. Now that the danger has passed, Cora dead, Regina mourning, and the Charming family taking a much deserved break, Belle seeks to learn more about Neal. Neal has no idea how to deal with it.**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Once Upon a Time or any of the characters.**

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Neal was stuck. He found more than his fair share of trouble over the years, but he always found a way out of them. He wouldn't say he was proud of it exactly, but as former thief there was some form of pride involved in slipping out of trouble. He even escaped Neverland right under Pan's smug little nose, which was no small feat. Of course he was the son of the king of loopholes. Quick escapes and trickery ran in his blood. If that was the case how did he find himself waiting at a diner to have lunch with his estranged father's girlfriend?

Everything happened so fast. He had a less than stellar reunion with his father and he finally got to tell him off for all the crap his old man put him through. Then he discovered he had son with his first love and inadvertently abandoned him as his father had done to him. He really, really, shouldn't have listened to August. Hook attacked and nearly killed his father. They raced back to Storybrooke where they had to fight off the Evil Queen from the Snow White story aka Regina aka his son's adoptive mother and her even eviler mother, Cora. They wanted to use his father's dagger to kill him and take his power to kill all of them. That was going to be a memorable family reunion to say the least.

In the midst of all that he met Belle the woman Emma teasingly introduced as his stepmother. He nearly swallowed his tongue when he heard that. It was an awkward first meeting to say the least, but the business of stopping a pair of evil sorceresses from killing all of them didn't give them time to dwell or socialize. Things looked bleak for a while, so bleak that he and his father actually talked, with no yelling involved. Damn, just when he figured his old man out he had to be sincere and honest. He knew he could never stop loving him. He was the Dark One. He had done many terrible deeds before and after he left, but there was still the good man who loved him with all his heart underneath it all. The good man broke out of the darkness just long enough to reach him. This time when his father apologized he listened. It was that moment he realized he didn't want to lose his papa. After all the world hopping, all the adventures, and all changes he went through he was still a stupid lost boy holding out for his papa it seemed.

Belle looked as miserable as he felt. He wanted to give them their privacy, but that wasn't an option thanks to the magical barrier that was their last line of defense keeping them in the back of his father's shop. His father said things. He showed emotions Neal didn't know his old man still had. This mysterious Belle poured out her own emotions. God did he feel awkward being there for their dying declarations of love, but a part him was happy. His father loved Belle with all his heart and she loved him just as much. He didn't understand why or how she came to love the Dark One, but she did. She wasn't taking his possible early departure well. That's when he did something stupid. He promised her they would get through this together. He reached out to her and hadn't realized he done so until he said it. Naturally his father pulled through in the most underhanded way imaginable. He used Emma's mother to kill Cora as some kind of magical life trade he still didn't quite understand. The family reunion turned sour fast after that. He was so angry at his father pulling through by manipulating someone into doing his dirty work for him. The Dark One used them to protect his precious power and get rid of the threat to it in one foul sweep. Nothing had changed at all it seemed.

Except, those words weren't lies. For the first time in a long while his father looked him in the eye and he couldn't find any deceit. Regardless of the plan he had in place he still feared he would die. Everything his father said to him was true. Neal knew he was probably an idiot, but he was happy his old man had survived. For better or for worse things worked out. Cora wouldn't succeed his father as the Dark One, which meant all their lives were spared. Henry was safe and sound. His father made it through. Despite all the anger that was still there a part of him was happy his father would be sticking around. Neal needed to cool down before their next meeting, but he was happy to have his father around. They had time to try to mend their relationship. He liked having that option rather than having it ripped away from him entirely.

On the down side his hasty words encouraged Belle to try to reach out to him. It was too late to stop her. He couldn't just blow her off. She was just so, sweet and innocent. She suckered him in. She had to have because he agreed to have lunch with her the next day. He stupidly asked for his father not to come. Neal was so pissed at his father's actions that he requested the one person who could act as their buffer not to be present. Now he was having lunch with his father's girlfriend alone.

If only he could have brought Henry, but he had school. Emma reminded him that the kid missed a few days thanks to the road trip his father forced upon them. He was in no position to argue. He was just lucky Emma was letting him see Henry at all with the crap he pulled. Again he found himself realizing he really shouldn't have listened to August back then. Here he was now, sitting alone in a booth, being gawked at every so often by people who were unfamiliar with new faces popping up in town. This was going to go well he thought sarcastically.

"Baelfire." He flinched at the sound of his old name. It had been years since anyone called him that. As soon as he left Neverland he decided to ditch his old name and pick something new for a fresh start. Baelfire had too much baggage attached to it. He grown to despise it for everything it represented.

"It's Neal," he snapped. She was caught by surprise. He felt like the biggest jerk in the world. Belle wouldn't know any of the hell he went through. She wouldn't know he had grown to despise his original name for its reminder of the parents who abandoned him. "Sorry," he muttered. She said it was no problem and took her seat.

What was with this woman? He snapped at her and she was the one who looked apologetic. No one was that nice. She had to be working some angle. They sat there in awkward silence for a few seconds. This was going to be a long lunch. Already he was dreading this as a horrible mistake.


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: I still don't own anything.**

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"How are you enjoying Storybrooke?" Belle finally asked. At least one of them was brave enough to break the silence. The relief he felt for it was stronger than it should have been.

"Well considering I came here to help save my father's life from two evil sorceresses trying to kill him not too well." Wow, did that sound as sarcastic and hostile as he heard it? It must have been because Belle's smile faltered. Guilt reared its ugly head again. Since when did he care about what other people thought? Why did he care what she thought?

"Have you had time to take in any sights?" Belle tried again. She didn't give up. He learned one thing about her already. If she was going to keep making an effort he should at least try to as well. That was the polite thing to do right?

"Unless you count my father's shop, the bed and breakfast here at the diner, and Emma's apartment I would say no." That sounded better. There was that Neal Cassidy charm he needed to get through this.

"I haven't explored the town completely myself. If you want perhaps we could explore together."

Their lunch wasn't even over and she was already planning on their next activity. He just wanted to get through this, not make it a regular occurrence. "Henry was planning on showing me around town," he lied. Did using his son as an excuse to avoid his father's girlfriend make him a bad father? He was going to have to make up for it. They still had Hook's ship at the docks. He could take it for a day and teach Henry to sail it. That would be a cool father-son activity.

"How is Henry?" The smile returned to its full glory at the mention of his son. How well did she know Henry? Suddenly he felt a pang of jealousy toward this woman. He had only learned of his son's existence a few days ago. Belle on the other hand had known him longer, potentially much longer than Neal did if her smile was anything to go off of. What type of relationship did she have with Henry? His father's girlfriend could have more of a relationship with son than he did. How messed up was that?

"How do you know Henry?" He tried to ask nonchalantly, but had no idea if he was successful. What was wrong with him today? He was letting this strange, yet nice woman throw him off his game.

"He's been to my library a few times. I'm the librarian here in Storybrooke. We talk about the books we've read or our dreams of adventures. He is a good boy. He's as clever as they come and very kind."

He knew Henry was clever. The kid knew he was being passed off on someone when they got back to Storybrooke. He made a snarky remark about it. He dreaded how that wit and intelligence would come into play when Henry was in his teenage years. He had a feeling that he and Emma were going have their hands full with him. "How is Henry doing?" she asked again, reminding him that he never bothered to answer her question. She didn't sound annoyed though. She was still all smiles with a tad bit of concern. She had to be hiding something. No one was that nice without an agenda, certainly not a woman who was involved with his father.

"He's doing alright, but I think this whole issue with his family's infighting is getting to him. I don't know much about Regina and my first impression of her is kind of tainted with the whole trying to kill us thing, but she is his mother as much as Emma is. She raised him, loved him. To him she was his mother his whole life. Now he sees her do all these terrible things and become someone he's afraid of. That's no way for a child to live." Unfortunately it was one thing he had in common with his son. He understood just how terrifying it was to see a parent he loved his whole life transform into something unrecognizable. Regina was lost in darkness as much as his father. The worst part was she honestly believed everything she was doing was for Henry's benefit just like his father thought with him. His son was in the same nightmare he lived. He hated he was unintentionally responsible for it. He shouldn't have left Emma. It was his fault this all happened. If he just gone through with the original plan they could have moved to Tallassee and raised Henry together as a proper family. He couldn't do anything about the past, but he sure as hell could do something about the future. He could make sure Henry had a father for emotional support. He owed Henry that much at least.

"I'm going make sure Henry doesn't go through what I did," he proclaimed with a harshness he was all too familiar with. Belle's smiles went away. He was becoming an expert on that it seemed. Neal wasn't sure how to feel about that. The awkwardness returned. They couldn't ignore elephant in the room forever. Whatever her relationship was with his father it didn't change the fact that he chose his power over his own son. Just because he didn't want his father dead didn't mean he was any closer to forgiving him. He had to make her realize that before she continued to make plans for them.

"That means you'll be around for a bit?" She sounded so hopeful and pure it hurt. The more time he spent with this woman the more he found himself thinking she didn't fit with his father. She didn't fit into their dark world, but maybe she did. She had to have a bit darkness to be with him right?

"Yeah, I mean I want to be in Henry's life. The best way to do that is if I stick around for a while. I have to prove to Emma I'm not going to bail this time."

Belle looked conflicted. He could see she wanted to ask him something, but was unsure if she should ask it. At least she was as confused about their whole situation and what was appropriate as he was. "Do you mind if I ask what happened between you and Emma?" While she was curious she looked fearful, as if she had crossed some invisible line she wasn't supposed to. Neal wasn't any closer to figuring her out. Was this genuine or an act to get in his good graces.

"I was stupid," Neal said plainly. "I did something horrible to her. Something you can't forgive. Because of that I've been out of my son's life for the last eleven years. I'll be lucky if she lets Henry spend a day with me here let alone a whole weekend in New York." Why was he telling her all of that? That was much too personal to share in this early stage of their relationship. No, they didn't have a relationship at all. This was just lunch with his father's girlfriend. He didn't even know if he wanted his father back into his life let alone if he wanted her in it. This was all too confusing.

He felt Belle put her hand over his. When he looked back at her he saw her give him an encouraging smile. Neal wasn't sure how to process that. These gestures, while kind, felt too personal for someone he just met, almost motherly. It was too soon for her to be trying that. "I am sure Emma will forgive you," Belle said warmly.

"How do you know that?"

Belle's smile widened. "You regret it and you want to make up for it. When she sees that for herself she'll eventually forgive you."

"It's just that easy?" he said bitterly. How could she say with such certainty that Emma would forgive him? Leaving her to take the fall was going to leave some scars. He always knew that, but it caused her to give up their son for adoption and put him in this mess. He didn't just let her down, but their son. How could she forgive him for that? Was it even fair for him to want her to forgive him for that? He had too much of Milah and Rumpelstiltskin in him after all.

"I didn't say anything about it being easy," she defended. He caught a twinkle in her eye. For some dumb reason it pulled him out of himself. "It will be hard to win back her trust, but as long as you are persistent you'll eventually earn it back. She'll forgive you, because she'll see the person she can count on, not the one who let her down."

It was an afterschool show special answer. It was annoyingly optimistic without context or basis for it. "How are you so sure about that?" He had forgotten that her hand was still over his. It didn't feel as awkward anymore. Her presence if not welcomed was becoming less alien to him.

"She wouldn't let you around Henry if she didn't think you were capable of change." He hadn't thought of that. In the short time he had seen Emma with Henry he gathered she was fiercely protective of the boy. "Emma still has faith in you. That means she wants to believe you will be there for Henry. Once you show her you can she will be willing to forgive the man you were."

He wanted her words to be true. If he could really earn Emma's trust back and prove he wasn't a man who abandoned his family he would do anything. It didn't matter how long it took or how hard it would be. He would do it. Just because they weren't together anymore didn't mean he cared for her any less. They at least had Henry to think about. They needed to be a team when it came to him even if their romance was dead. Neal had to do his part to make them a team. "I hope you're right." Their gazes met. He saw warmth in her eyes that he hadn't really expected. Her presence was becoming more and more comforting. It disturbed Neal at how Belle was sneaking past his defenses so easily.

Belle acted as if they had known each other longer than they actually did. Now her hand was rubbing his affectionately. She tried to encourage him with a smile. She looked at him with warmth he wasn't familiar with. It contrasted how awkward their situation was. He wasn't sure what to do. "So, what is your story?" He hoped to distract her from how uncomfortable she was making him. Plus it got him out of the spotlight. Putting it on Belle for a while would let him get his bearings. "Emma told me you were a princess. How did you and my father happen?"

Belle blushed worse than a school girl. It did nothing except make Neal more uncomfortable around her. He recognized the gleam in her eye. She had it bad for his old man. Heaven help her, because he couldn't understand it at all. She was a relatively young and beautiful woman who could have her pick of any man she wanted. His father was much, much, much older. While he wouldn't say his father was unattractive he did show his age, well not his exact age given the hundreds of years, but his sort of pre curse age. This Belle was definitely odd. Then again Belle from Beauty and Beast fell for a guy covered in fur.

He supposed the real counterpart had to have been equally as odd. Knowing his father the Dark One was probably as hostile as Beast was in the movie. Although, he couldn't imagine his father having snowball fights and taking dating advise from enchanted objects. If they ever got on good terms with each other maybe they should watch Beauty and the Beast. He could tease his father forever over that movie.

"I'm not a princess. I was a noblewoman." Her blush faded, but that glow radiated as strong as ever. Seeing how love enveloped Belle made it very apparent how absent it was from his mother from the little he remembered of her. "Our first meeting was unusual. Ogres plagued my land. They had taken so much of our land that we were forced back to the castle. The war went badly."

She was no longer the awkward woman nor was she the comforting beauty he saw before. Her face became pale. No smile was threatening to emerge from her lips. It was like Neal was seeing a completely different woman. He couldn't blame her though. Ogres were merciless. While he never saw battle he had seen some of the deceased or what was left of them if the army was fortunate enough to recover the body to send home.

"There was nothing we could do. The ogres had breached our last defenses and were coming to the castle. There was nothing left for us to do except…"

"Call my father." He knew where this was going. It never failed. His father prayed on the desperate, knowing they couldn't resist the deals he offered only to exact a cruel price making them wonder if they were really any better off than they were before. Why would anything be different after he left? "What did he want in return?"

"He wanted me to come to the Dark Castle to be his maid forever. I agreed."

His respect for this woman grew immensely. She willingly sacrificed everything to save her people. It couldn't be easy to go from noblewoman to servant. It had to have been a rocky transition and a difficult one with his father as the master. He enjoyed flaunting his power over royalty and nobility the most. "I'm sorry you had to go through that. There was a time when he would have stopped the ogres because it was the right thing to do. His moral compass is so out of whack now." Would the good man ever return or would he always just be the Dark One?

"He is trying to do better," she defended to his surprise. "He has darkness, but there is a good man underneath it all." Her spirit was reignited. This was probably the first time in their conversation that he had seen her so sure of herself. There was no doubt in her that his father was a good man.

Neal wasn't sure how to respond to that. He never heard anyone stick up for his father before. Once upon a time he was the one to stick up for him. Those days had long since gone. Belle had usurped that position it seemed. That was when it really hit him. Belle and his father had their own history together. It was a history he had no part of. They had their own ups and downs. She had seen a man Neal hadn't seen in centuries. She brought out the better parts of his father that Neal thought had long been consumed by the curse. She knew his father better than he did at this point. It wasn't just his father, but Henry as well. He just met this woman and she was already so imbedded into his family. He was the stranger here not her. That bothered him immensely. It was wrong. His father dropped him down that portal, but he found her. While he was terrorized by pirates or being forced to fight his fellow lost boys on Pan's whims his father was giving ballroom dances with his maid.

This whole thing reminded him of his mother. She chose to be with Hook over her own family, over her own son. She made that band of pirates her new family and forgot all about him. That hit him harder and worse than any physical blow could. He thought he had at least one decent parent up until he spent time on the Jolly Roger. His mother chose Hook over him. His father was no better. He let him fall through the portal to protect his precious power. He stayed there and met Belle. The man made it out as if he had done nothing, but agonize over "losing" him, but how true was that? He found time to fall in love with Belle. That had to have eased his heart considerably, just like Hook had done for Milah even though she supposedly regretted leaving him.

Then it hit him. Hook wanted to be his father, to forget everything that happened with his mother. How could have missed this? Belle was doing that exact same thing now. That big speech about Emma forgiving him was her way of trying to manipulate him into forgiving his father. He fell for it hook, line, and sinker. She was no different from Hook. Belle might be championing his father while Hook fought on his mother's behalf, but it boiled down the same. They wanted him to forgive and be a part of some big happy family. As if they could be anything like that. Lies and manipulation was how this family worked. Belle was no different. She had her own agenda. His father probably taught her how to manipulate him with this innocent act of hers. "I'm not really in the mood for this. Can we do this some other time?" He didn't wait for her reply and already started getting up.

Stunned at his sudden retreat she grabbed his hand. "Wait, Neal."

He rushed out of the diner as fast as his legs could carry him, as far away from his father and as her as he could. He had been an idiot. Nothing could change. The good man was gone. There was only the Dark One in his place. Well there was the Dark One and his Dark Mistress. He wouldn't be dragged back into the darkness.

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 **I know Neal was bit over the place, but I think it makes sense given the situation. He had conflicting emotions with his dad that sitting down and talking to Belle is weird and awkward position to be in. Given his experience with Hook he is a bit more defensive. He put his trust in Killian as a boy and was crushed when he learned Milah ran away with him. I don't think he wants history to repeat itself.**

 **I'm not trying to bash Hook, Milah, or Rumple etc. This is Neal's thoughts and feelings. He is going to have positive and negative thoughts about them based on his experiences with them.**


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer: I do not own anything nor do I pretend to.**

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He had gotten as far as halfway around the corner before she caught up to him.

"Neal! Please don't go." He ignored her and kept on going. She grabbed his forearm and pulled on it with all her strength. He could break out of her grip, but he didn't want to be cruel. "Please stay. Tell me what's wrong. Is it something I said or something I did to make you feel uncomfortable?"

He made an effort not look her in the eye. If he looked at them he would come undone on the scene and start apologizing on the spot. He didn't want apologize. He didn't want to forgive his father. He certainly wasn't ready for another pseudo stepparent trying to force themselves into his life. "I don't need a mother," he blurted out. "I get your game. You think we're going to be one big happy family, you, me, and my father. You came here to smooth things over for him. It's not that easy. I'm still mad at him for all the crap he's done. He claims he can change, but I haven't seen him do it once. He saved his ass by manipulating all of us. He used Emma's mother to kill Cora. He knew she would do it, but he made this big speech about how sorry he was and how much he loved me. He used his own death as card to trick me into forgiving him, knowing he wasn't going to die!"

He didn't know when he raised his voice, but he couldn't stop himself either. Belle looked at him tentatively. Really she looked so small and lost. He almost lost his resolve until he remembered this was an act. No one who was with his father by choice could be this innocent. "You just want me to up and forgive him, so we can play house? Did you expect him to come home with a fourteen year old me, so the two of you could raise me together?"

"I-I didn't know how old you might be?" she croaked out. "Your father told me he lost you when you were fourteen, but he was unsure of your age."

Neal laughed bitterly. His old man was such a piece of work. He didn't even tell her the truth. "He lost me. That's what he told you. He didn't lose me he chose to abandon me. He broke our deal. I found a way to get rid of his powers without killing him and he went back on his word. We were supposed to come here together and start over, but he let me go willingly. He let me fall through that portal because his power meant more to him than I did. Nothing has changed at all. He brought magic to this world, because he can't live without it. He wanted to use magic to fix it all." Those damn eyes. He looked at her for a second and he caught them. She wasn't frightened or confused. All he saw was this pity within them just threatening to drown him. She pitted him. He was a son who was second place for his father's affections, possibly third place now after her. His rage simmered even more.

"I'm supposed to forget all that and be happy he's here now. I'm supposed to accept a new stepmother who wants to pretend to be my mother. My real mother sucked too. She abandoned me first and never came back. I barely even remember her because she left when I was so young. I've been without a mother all this time. I sure as hell don't need one now."

"I would certainly think not," Belle said hotly. "You are centuries older than I am. Your father and I aren't even married yet." Yet, the word felt like a hard slap across his face. Were they planning a future together? He knew they were serious. He hadn't heard too many married couples actually speak with as much god honest love and affection as Belle and his father had on his apparent deathbed, but he never thought… Hearing that word, yet, out loud made all of this feel more real. This woman he barely knew could very well be his father's future wife. She could be his stepmother and Henry's step-grandmother. She could be the mother of future half siblings of his. God, would they have children of their own? This was happening way too fast.

"You've been through a lot," she continued. Fortunately her voice rescued him from his unsettling thoughts. "I can't imagine all of the things you've experienced, growing up alone. I don't want you to think of me as someone you can't trust."

"I don't even know you." Again the better part of him hollered at him to stop making an ass of himself. Again Neal ignored it in favor of taking the easier and pettier course of action. "You sure as hell don't know me. We're complete strangers and like I said before I'm not looking for a mom. The only thing that ties us together is my father and I'm not even sure I want him back in my life let alone having his girlfriend in my life. You're already talking about wanting to be someone I can trust. You want us to just suddenly be a family?"

"You are right." Her simple words disarmed him instantly. "We don't know each other well," she acknowledged, "and it is too early to expect you to trust me. But you're wrong in thinking this was some trick. I didn't conspire with your father to get you here." Could he believe her? On the surface Belle appeared to be an honest and kind woman, but if that were the case why would she be with his father? His father loved Belle, but that didn't change the fact that he went around cursing people. The kind hearted saint Belle was presenting couldn't put up with that. It had to be an act. There had to be something darker underneath it all.

"Sure you didn't," Neal sneered. Belle scowled. It looked wrong. After seeing her smiles, both genuine and forced ones he could say they felt more natural than the scowl she wore now. The anger burning in her eyes caught him off guard.

"I'm telling you the truth." Neal could feel the fire he saw in her eyes. "We don't know each other, but you've already made up your mind about me before you even got to know me. You won't even try to get to know me, because you are so busy assuming the worse, just like your father."

"I'm nothing like him," Neal said. His voice was so low that it was chilling. The volume of his voice might have gone down, but anger burned stronger than it ever had during their conversation. In truth it had been swelling inside of him all this time without Neal realizing it. It swelled just waiting for an opportunity to boil to the surface. Belle had given it just that with the comparison to his father. "I'm nothing like him." He wasn't. He spent too much time and exerted too much effort to make sure he turned out nothing like Rumpelstiltskin.

Belle huffed. She met his glare with her own. "You can't believe that I wanted to have lunch with you and talk. No, instead you think I plotted with your father to…to what exactly? Trick you into forgiving him? Seeing him? Loving him?"

She was trying to turn this around on him now. That was a classic misdirection tactic he had seen done countless times. It was most certainly was right out of his father's playbook. Belle would need to do more than that if she was hoping to guilt trip him or make him think he was being unreasonable. Okay so maybe some small part nagged at him, but only a small part.

"I went through the exact same thing with him," Belle revealed. "He thought I had some ulterior motive for loving him, because he was so sure someone couldn't love him for any other reason." For the briefest of moments Neal glimpsed pain in her eyes. Belle shoved it aside. The fierce determination was back. "Of all the qualities you could have inherited from Rumple I was hoping this distrust in people he has wouldn't be one of them."

God he remembered that all too well. His father's distrust in people as Belle said had been a primary reason for why Neal was kept hidden away in their hut when he was a boy. He couldn't trust Neal would come back to him if he let him leave. No amount of promises or reassurances he gave could ease his father's mind. Maybe he had more in common with Belle than he thought. He wasn't being like that though. This was different. Neal was his son. His father should have trusted him. Belle was a complete stranger to him. There was no basis for him to trust her. That didn't make him his father. It didn't right?

They were nothing alike except for abandoning a son to grow up fatherless. That was one undeniable truth and one terrible deed that would forever link Neal to his father no matter how indirect it was. It was unmistakable yet he was trying to rationalize it as being different from what his father did to him. Anyone with eyes could see they were the same thing. Belle could see it. He wanted to hate her for making him see it too, but his heart wasn't in it.

"I meant what I said, Neal. I didn't come here to force you into forgiving your father. I certainly don't want to force you to spend time with me if that's not what you want." Disappointment marred her features, yet the fire burned brightly in her eyes. For a woman who claimed she wasn't trying to be his mother she was frighteningly proficient in giving that mom look that made you feel 12 inches tall and like a real jackass. If she gave a look similar to that to his father Neal could see how she survived servitude to the Dark One. Even he would falter to that look. "But, at least consider it," she pleaded. "Yesterday when…when Rumple…your father almost….almost…"

She could barely get the words out. He shouldn't have been surprised. The reason they were in this mess is because he tried to comfort her when they thought his father was a goner. The damn guilt emerged again. He wished it would just stay away. "When he ah…almost died." She was reliving it as she spoke. Without hesitation or much thought at all Neal placed a hand on her shoulder and gave what he hoped was a reassuring rub. Belle showed her appreciation with a smile that had the opposite effect of the guilt ridden mom look. "I felt like he was taking a part of me with him, the best part. I kept thinking about all the things we hadn't done yet and all the time we lost. I was so angry at how unfair it was that we had just been reunited only for me to lose him all over again." A long pause came. Belle was looking at him in the eye, but she might as well have been looking anywhere else. Her gaze was without focus. She looked through him. Her mind and heart were somewhere else. Neal was patient with her. He owed her that much he felt.

"In the end I had so many regrets, too many regrets. It wasn't how I wanted our story to end." Belle's focus returned on him. She really looked at him in a way she hadn't done before. It was penetrating, stripping away all the barriers he put in place, and grabbing hold of the lost boy he thought he had gotten rid of long ago. Neal was as exposed as an open nerve. The experience was unsettling. "I could see how torn up you were over Rumple. More importantly I could see how much regret you had."

"I'm not the one with regret," Neal defended strongly. "He abandoned me. He chose magic over me! He let me grow up alone! I didn't choose to leave him!" He wasn't going to feel guilty about this. His anger was justified. Neal shouldn't have to be forced to forgive his father just like that. The person who should have regrets was him, not Neal. "Of course I didn't want him to die. As angry as I was…am at him doesn't mean I want him to die. He is still my father." He still loved him. Neal wanted him alive, just not in his life. At least that was what he wanted at the moment or he thought he wanted. Why was this so complicated? "I don't have anything to say to him. Everything I needed to say to him I said. If I never saw him again I wouldn't lost any sleep over it."

He thought saying the words would have strengthened his resolve, but it was the exact opposite. Neal was reminded of the hopeless lost boy trapped in Neverland who wanted nothing more than to see his papa come to his rescue. Would he forever be the lost boy still holding out for is papa even with a son of his own? Did Belle see that? One look at her and Neal could tell she hadn't bought his declaration at all. "If your father was gone for good and you could never talk to or see him again could you honestly say you would never regret not speaking to him ever again?"

He couldn't. God help him. Neal couldn't tell Belle that. The cold hard truth was that if his father had died Neal would have been haunted by all the what-ifs. Again he was clinging to the possibility of mending his relationship with his father over the thought of having it stolen away from him. He stood at a loss for words before the beauty that won the heart of the beast. Neal held no illusions he didn't look like a hapless fool, who could just barely keep his mouth from gaping. Belle was kind enough not to rub his nose in what was unmistakable her victory.

Instead tenderness overcame her. Sympathy burst from the doe-like blue eyes of hers. Neal found himself appreciating the sympathy this time around and the easiness it brought. "He is a difficult man to love. Believe me I know." They both laughed. Loving Rumpelstiltskin the Dark One was one of the greatest challenges in this or any other realm. For the first time in ages (possibly ever) he had a companion to face the challenge with. That was a relief.

"I know it hurt when you thought he chose magic over you." Judging from the flash of pain he glimpsed he could tell Belle also experienced what that had felt like. "The fact that he spent centuries trying to find you to make up for his mistake proved he always loved you. You're afraid that if you let him back in that he'll just hurt you again. It is a risk, but you can't let your fear decide this for you. I am not saying you have to forgive him. That is up to you if you do, but you both have a chance to be there for each other now. You can decide how your story ends. It could end with a son and father both too afraid to speak to each other out of fear of being hurt or it could end with the two of them making new memories with your own son."

He forgot to account for what Henry might want. He actually was curious about his grandfather. On the ship ride to Storybrooke Henry had asked a few questions about Mr. Gold. The kid might actually want some kind of relationship with him. It was possible his father wanted a relationship with the grandson he just learned about. Neal couldn't exactly keep Henry from seeing him, while expecting the kid to give him a chance. It was a bit contradictory. He suspected the kid would call him on it if the cold shoulder he gave Emma for lying about him was any indication.

Like it or not as long as he was staying in Storybrooke he would have to face his father. He couldn't ignore him forever. At the same time he wasn't ready to talk to him today. "You are persistent."

"So I have been told," Belle teased.

"By my father," he said with a smirk.

"He may have used less kind words to describe it when I first came to the Dark Castle."

"I bet he did." The atmosphere was lighter than it had ever been in the diner. Easy smiles were shared.

"I don't suppose I can get you to come back to Granny's with me and have that lunch?" Belle ventured. She tried to be casual, but he could see how tense her body had become. Belle did her best to hide it.

She was giving him a choice. Neal couldn't see hidden agenda or plot. Belle meant what she said. If he said no while she wouldn't like it she would probably abide by his wishes. "My call?"

"Yes, of course," she responded sincerely. "I really meant it when I said I didn't want to try to force you into spending time with me. I am interested in getting to know you. It is too much to ask right now, but I do hope that maybe one day we could be a family."

"How about we start with lunch and see where that takes us." He watched her face light up. She gladly took what he was giving her without complaint. They returned to the diner for a promised lunch. They kept conversation simple and light. He learned little things about Belle, like hamburgers were her new favorite food. He told her about life in New York, which she found fascinating. Before he knew it their food came and went. He offered to pay, but Belle insisted she pay since she invited him. They compromised by splitting the bill.

The waitress, Ruby, a friend of Belle's sneak them a couple of cupcakes that she said was on the house. "Is this another one of your favorites in this world?" Neal asked, highly amused by how she was devouring the cupcake. She playfully kicked him in the shin. The lunch was more enjoyable than he imagined it would be. Neal was glad he hadn't left. Maybe Belle was exactly who she said she was. Maybe she wasn't a dark mistress he imagined her to be to match his father. Maybe, just maybe she was someone he could put his trust in. He wasn't ready to have family dinners with her and his father yet, but the thought wasn't as ludicrous as he originally thought it was.

When lunch ended and Belle asked if they could do this again in the future Neal said yes. He gave her his phone number to set up a future date. Belle was overjoyed, but maintained her composure. Nothing was set in stone and they would play it by ear, but it was something at least. He would need more time to confirm she wasn't secretly evil or anything. Neal wouldn't be opposed to seeing Belle again sometime. Who knew? Maybe they could be friends.


	4. Chapter 4

**I was disappointed in the writers for continuing to focus on and making drama for Belle and Rumple. I still like them together and at least respect the idea that we have one couple where all the problems aren't solved in forty minutes and they are instantly all starry eyed, but they are forgetting to show us the strength of this relationship that was responsible for making this one of the best received relationships in the show, enough so to upgrade Belle into a bigger character. I get tired when writers just focus on relationship drama in shows and forget other parts of it, so I wrote this chapter in hopes of incorporating what I liked about this couple in season 2 and how I think Belle not losing her memories might have affected the plot in the second season.**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Once Upon a Time. If I did I would try to spend more time on the plots and character development. The show has a lot of fun ideas, but just feels like a lot of stories aren't fully thought out or given attention they deserve to be fully satisfying.**

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Belle hoped that after Rumple survived his close brush with death that they could enjoy a measure of peace before the next crisis sprung up. She hoped that the measure of peace would last longer than a single day. Not even a half hour after her lunch with Baelfire she received a call from Rumple warning her about Regina's renewed wrath. It was true that Belle witnessed the Evil Queen swear vengeance against Mary Margaret before her mother's body was even, but she thought grief would have kept the former queen at bay for a time.

She should have realized that thought was at best naïve or at worst delusional. After all Regina's thirst for vengeance had been so great that it enabled her to enact a curse on a whole realm of innocent people just to condemn the one person she hated most. Someone with that much anger and hate in their heart wouldn't sit back and mourn while the people she held responsible for her mother's death still walked unpunished. In Regina's mind they were all responsible for Cora's demise. Belle couldn't exactly disagree with that sentiment. Baelfire or rather Neal said it himself, Rumple had arranged for the events that stripped Cora of her life in place of his own.

Belle was no more in love with that fact than Neal was, but Rumple's survival gave her such enormous amount of happiness that it tempered her anger at him for once again achieving his goal through the wrong means. In good conscious she couldn't condone what Rumple had done, but she also understood the threat Cora posed to all of them. Cora had been moments away from stabbing him with his dagger and taking his place as the Dark One. They came so close to death that day that it was pure chance they survived. Even Rumple had confessed that he hadn't expected that Mary Margaret would manipulate Regina's love for her mother to return Cora's cursed heart back to her. He took no pleasure in his former lover's death. The grief she saw within his eyes when he told her he was going to pay is respects to Cora were evidence enough of that.

It wouldn't matter to Regina though. Her rage would rule her and that made Regina very dangerous. Having been at the former queen's so called mercy Belle was familiar with ferocity of Regina's cruelty. She wouldn't wish it on anyone. She couldn't let anyone else suffer it if she could help it. While Rumple urged her to remain in the library where he had erected powerful magical defenses Belle told him in no uncertain terms that she was coming to the shop to help. Before the inevitable argument could break out she hung up the phone and ran straight to the shop. Needless to say he wasn't happy to see her.

"Don't," she told him.

It wouldn't be that easy. Rumple never made it easy. "You should have stayed where you were. I haven't even had time to erect new protection spells for the shop." Protection spells? That was right. After Hook broke into the shop he put protection spells on both the shop and her library so no one could get into the shop or harm her while he was away. The ones on the shop were broken? When did that happen?

Wait, she vaguely remembered him mentioning they were broken yesterday after the battle ended. Belle hadn't been paying attention. She was too preoccupied with proving to herself that he was alive and well, not that he minded. "The safest place you can be right now is in the library."

As always when danger emerged his first concern was her. Rumple's protective nature was one of his most defining traits. She loved him for it, but it could be tiresome at times. It wasn't that Belle didn't understand why he was so protective of her. Enough had happened to both of them that she couldn't blame him for wanting to make sure she was safe. At the same time he couldn't be so worried for her safety that he put her in a corner while he went out to solve the problem. That wasn't the type of relationship she wanted from him. She had enough of people making decisions for her in the past. Belle couldn't stand for Rumple to do that as her father had done before, even if he hadn't realized he was doing it.

"If the protection spells over the shop were undone than how can you be sure the ones on the library won't be undone as well?" Logic would be her weapon. Rumple respected intelligence and he valued logic. That was her best chance to get him to see past his own fears.

It was her best chance, but that didn't mean Rumple would simply bow down. Not without a fight. "In addition to the strongest protection spells I also placed a few that are directly tied to my life force. As long as I live those barriers will keep anyone or anything that means you harm out, even if I am in another state and without my magic." Just as she could use logic as a weapon Rumple could wield it just as well if not more so. This wasn't going to be easy.

"I'm safe with you," she argued. "We both know I'm not the person Regina swore revenge against yesterday." Belle was a pawn to use against Rumple. Until Regina was ready to go after him again Belle was safe. The person she hated most of all was Snow White. The princess turned bandit would always be her top priority.

"Mary Margaret might be the one Regina wants dead most, but she has no more love for me than she does her. While Regina cannot hope to best me in a direct confrontation she knows she can use you to get to me." She was his weakness. He didn't say that, but it is what he meant. Regina showed she wasn't above twisting their love to cause Rumple as much pain as she could. Her decades' long imprisonment was proof of that. "I need you to be safe. That is the best way you can help me right now."

No it wasn't it! She could help him so much more than that. Why couldn't he see that? Yes she could be used against him and act as a weakness, but she could also be his strength if he let her be. "I will be safe, but I can still help."

"Belle." Disappointment and frustration mixed together in his tone. In the old days he would have just used magic to whisk her away to her room and end the discussion. Now they were no longer master and servant. Rumple was trying hard to fight his instinct to send her away. She could see it written all over his face. He was making an effort for her. "What do you propose to do?" he challenged. At least this time there was no mockery behind it.

"Well, we need to warn David and Mary Margaret first."

"I was just about to do just that," Rumple said. "Fortunately that little task doesn't require two people."

He was right. It wouldn't take both of them to do that, but she could research a spell he could use to protect them or a spell to neutralize Regina's magic. Belle might not have been able to practice magic, but her research skills could still help her find spells. "I will do research here and help you find a spell."

Perplexed Rumple stared at her blankly as if she had declared she would fly to the moon and back. "Why would I need a spell?"

"To protect Mary Margaret or stop Regina," Belle replied.

"All I am planning to do is warn the Charmings. I have no intentions of getting involved in their little feud with her majesty."

She couldn't believe her ears. They had to help the Charming family. They couldn't just leave them to the wolves. They had been through too much together. When he left Storybrooke it was David and Mary Margaret who he entrusted her safety with. They helped her evade Cora and Regina when they were trying to get their hands on the dagger. Above all else they were good people. More importantly they were family through Henry. "How can you say you aren't involved? If you are going to warn them you need to help them."

"It is not our problem," he argued.

"Why warn them at all if you feel that way?"

He hesitated. That was never a good sign. He would often do that when he was planning on telling her something he wasn't sure she would agree with. Belle braced herself. "I am indebted to them for helping me save my life. In order to repay that debt I will warn them about Regina. After that my debt will be paid."

It was all she could do from shouting at him. In his mind using Mary Margaret to kill Cora and save his life could be repaid by warning them of Regina's ill intent, but not actually help them against it. What worried her is that if Rumple hadn't felt indebted to the Charming family he probably wouldn't have even bothered to warn them. What was the point of having all that power if he didn't use it for good? "No. Rumple, we have to help them. We can't let them fend for themselves. Regina is dangerous. We can't let her get away with hurting them."

"It doesn't concern us."

It didn't concern them? It mostly certainly did! How a man so intelligent could say something so stupid was beyond her. "Regina is a threat to all of us! The reason you called me was because you think she will come after me to hurt you. Stopping her is in our best interests as well as everyone else's."

He wanted to roll his eyes. She could tell, but he reframed from doing so. While Rumple found her bravery endearing he found some of heroic aspirations baffling at best and downright vexing at worst. Belle wondered if he had been offering his services for a price for so long that he simply could not remember that helping people for no other reason than it was the right thing to do. "I will deal with Regina when and if she comes after us not before. It serves no purpose to get involved needlessly. Nor is it wise to put yourself on Regina's radar if she is preoccupied with Mary Margaret. After everything we've been through we have earned our measure of peace. Let the Charmings deal with the Evil Queen."

"You've helped them before." He furrowed his brow, no doubt trying to piece together how she knew that. "Henry showed me his storybook. I read bits and pieces of Snow White and Prince Charming's story, but I know you helped them stop the Regina in our land many times."

"For a price," he countered.

Anger swelled within her belly. This man could be exhausting at times and incredibly pigheaded. "So if they offer you a deal you would help them?" Contempt dripped into her words. "You helped them when you needed them to make Regina so desperate that she would cast the curse to take us all here to find Neal, but when they need you and have nothing to offer you leave them to their fate?"

Rumple had the decency to look ashamed or as ashamed as he would allow himself to look on this subject. "If I help them we will be dragged into this feud. If I get involved Regina will attack either you or Bae to get back at me. Forgive me if I'm not sympathetic to the Charmings' troubles."

Bae. Neal. Of course! She was coming at this all wrong. Family was what drove Rumple. He would do anything to protect his family. She just needed to get him to see that his family extended much further than just Neal now. "What about Henry?" She watched his jaw tighten. Already he was processing the new information. "Rumple, you know Henry will get involved in this. He's your grandson. We have to help them for Henry's sake if nothing else." Ideally she would want to convince Rumple to help them because it was the right thing to do. She didn't have the time. The one thing she knew best about her Rumple was that he would go to any lengths to protect the people he loved. There was no doubt in her mind that he had fallen in love with boy after finding out he was Bae's son.

Something was wrong. His mood had darkened, but from anger as he was known for. It was….fear? "Rumple?"

"I can't help them." He spoke in such a small voice that her ears strained just to hear. Something was very wrong. "At least I can't help them the way you want me to," he told her. Any sign of weakness had faded without a trace. She was left wondering. "The only way I can foil Regina without fear of retaliation against you or Bae is if I kill her. If memory serves that was a path you did not want me to take."

That couldn't be the only way he could help. They couldn't kill Regina for Henry's sake alone if nothing else. Belle had no love for the queen, but she knew despite all the problems the poor boy had with Regina that he still loved her dearly the same way that Neal still loved Rumple. If Rumple could change then Regina could too. They owed her that chance for Henry. "We'll find another way."

"How can you be so certain of that?"

"If nothing else Rumpelstiltskin is resourceful. I trust you can find way that doesn't involve murder. You won't be alone. Working together we can solve this the right way."

"You have faith in me to do that?" he questioned. Doubt plagued him yet again. It saddened her heart to see how little faith he had in himself. He was flawed, but he could be a better man. She saw it in the way he acted around Henry before he knew the boy was his grandson.

"I have faith in you to be a better man." She drew him to her. Her hands found their way to his cheeks. Gently she started to caress them, drawing his loving gaze on her. Greedily Belle absorbed it and still couldn't get enough of it. "If we work together we can do this without anyone getting hurt. Let me be your strength."

A brisk laugh escaped his lips. "Oh, Belle. You have always been my strength, my courage. You have enough bravery for the both of us, enough to make even a coward brave." Her heart was sent aflutter. Belle was beginning to think his words would never lose their effect. Secretly she hoped they never did. Affection radiated from them, slowly engulfing them. The need to kiss him overpowered her and she consumed his lips. Belle loved they could now do this whenever they wanted without fear of rejection or curses breaking. They could express their love in a simple kiss. That meant the world to her.

It ended much too soon. Rumple felt the same way, if the wanting in his stare was any indication. They had a mission. They would have to wait for later to express their love more thoroughly later when they had more time. She was planning on making time. "I suppose you'll want to come with me to Mary Margaret and Miss Swan's place of residence." He willed himself away from her. He might have feared giving in to temptation. She was grateful he pulled away because she wasn't sure if she could resist herself.

"Yes. Of course I want to go with you, but…" This was a dangerous topic to approach. Belle hadn't figured a way to approach it. Her hopes were that by the end of the day when they went on their dinner date at his home that she would know what to do. Fate had other things in store for them. "I think I should call Neal." There were few things that could surprise Rumple. His son just happened to be one of the selected few. She hated being the one to cause him distress, but what else could they do, not call Neal? If Henry was in trouble he would want to know.

"Unfortunately I don't know how to contact Bae, through non magical means."

He didn't have Neal's number. The piece of paper residing in her pocket started burning. A wave of guilt washed over her. When Neal gave her his number she was so happy that he was offering just this little bit of him to her that she hadn't even considered that Rumple might not have it. He spent centuries trying to get back to his son, yet even with their reunion he was still no closer to it. No. That was wrong. Bae was thinking about their strained relationship. He still loved Rumple. That was a small, yet substantial victory. If only he would see that.

In the meantime she would have to be the bearer of bad news. Belle dreaded telling him, but she needed to. "I have his number."

She might as well have slapped by how taken aback he was. The familiar pain she saw glimpses of in the Dark Castle consumed his expression. "He gave you his number." A powerful urge to comfort him rose. She wanted to shield him from this and protect his heart. It hurt to know that she couldn't. "That's good. I'm happy that your lunch went so well then."

"Rumple…"

"You call him and then we'll leave." Before she could say another word he exited the room. It wasn't out of resentment or anger. It was some misbegotten notion that he would be intruding if he stayed in the room as she called his son. There would be a lot of work involved in repairing this family.


End file.
